- Journalist AllWell Ene reports the incident on his Facebook page, drawing attention to the heartbreaking event
- Details surrounding the incident are currently unclear, leaving room for further investigation
A 4-year-old boy has died after being attacked by his father’s dog in Etche local Government Area of Rivers State.
AllWell Ene, a journalist from Rivers State, shared the unfortunate event on his Facebook page on Monday, July 17, 2023. The incident took place in Chokota, located in Igbo-Etche town.
According to another source, Instablog9ja who uploaded the footage from the tragic scene, a resident noted that the victim’s father had released two of his dogs to protect his kids in the compound as he went out to work. “This happened yesterday in my area. The boy’s father was on his way to work when he received a call that one of his dogs had mauled his son to death.”
The resident, who chose to remain anonymous, revealed that all five dogs were well acquainted with the children since only two were released to guard the compound. The man’s four-year-old son would occasionally assist in putting the dogs back into their cages, leaving no indication that such a tragic event could transpire.
Upon his return home, the father was confronted with the devastating scene of his son lying lifeless in a pool of blood. Fortunately, neighbors intervened and prevented further harm, as the dog had also injured his daughter. Regrettably, in order to safeguard others, the neighbors had to take the drastic step of ending the dog’s life.
Additionally, reports indicate that a veterinary doctor had advised the family to consider selling or killing the dog due to the potential development of mental issues in dogs after reaching the age of five, and apparently, the dog had been with the family for seven years.
In a related incident that took place in 2021, ten dogs owned by the proprietor of Global Growth Academy in Amokpo, Umuanunwa, Nteje, Anambra State, reportedly attacked and killed a three-year-old child on the school premises. The incident occurred on Wednesday, September 15, around 7.10 am when the victim, identified as Obinna Ude, was brought to the school by his uncle, Chima Ude, for enrollment.
According to a resident of the community, the child strayed away while his uncle was busy filling out forms and completing the enrollment process. Taking advantage of this, the ten dogs broke out of their enclosure, attacked the boy, and inflicted fatal injuries on him. The dogs were under the ownership of Chinedu Oka, also known as Chinedu-Okaa London, a United Kingdom returnee and the school proprietor.
The resident mentioned that the dogs dragged the young boy to their pen, where they mauled him, and no one from the school administration came to his rescue. It is worth noting that the rearing of dogs is culturally prohibited in Nteje community, making it an act of defiance on the part of the UK returnee proprietor to keep them despite the community’s warnings.
The incident sparked anger within the community, leading a group of youth vigilantes to storm the school premises and shoot all the dogs to death. Igwe Roland Odegbo, the traditional ruler of Nteje, confirmed the incident and expressed his support for the killing and disposal of the dogs. The proprietor has been handed over to the authorities for legal action.
Igwe Roland Odegbo emphasized that the proprietor was aware of the community’s prohibition on rearing dogs, yet chose to disregard it. Consequently, the community views the act as a form of murder, which is considered an abomination. The traditional ruler assured that justice would be served, as they do not tolerate such acts of evil.
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